I started this website as a way to display the many iterations of expressing myself through photography that I've gone through over the years, and it's definitely made me think. Learning about the technical aspects has never been one of my strengths, opting for the "just jump in and do it" method mostly because my lack of attention span demands it. What I've noticed while looking at shots through the years is that as I became more comfortable with a camera I also took more pictures. It's as if in my early days I was afraid of messing up, so I missed opportunities. There might be a metaphor for life in your 20s vs. 30s in there somewhere actually...

I've been trying to think of the first time that I looked at a picture I took and really loved it, so I went back, and I dove back into a treasure trove of images I have stored in various places in "The Cloud" and elsewhere. I searched through the many trips and events of the last 10 to 12 years, and there have been quite a lot. I think about 2004 is right about when I purchased my first digital camera, a Canon Powershot A80. I won't lie; I bought it because the digital preview screen on the back detached and swiveled, allowing for an easier way to take (what we definitely didn't call) selfies. Mental note: Find that camera to show my middle school students how hard life was before smartphones.

I took that camera with me everywhere, and by the end of it's lifespan it had made several flights across the country and the Atlantic with me. It's 4 megapixels (pretty decent for the time) did right by me in many situations. The picture above, taken while on a trip visiting my brother-in-law and sister-in-law in England in 2006, was when I realized that I truly loved photography. I realized that it allowed me to capture not only memories of travel, my most favorite thing to do, but also the feelings associated with those memories. I can easily remember the awe I felt standing by that fence and seeing the Ely Cathedral, a nearly 1000 year old building, towering above the green and trees. That was my first time in England, and this scene was exactly what I expected it to be. I think I also have a fondness for it because it was the first time I had traveled that far away from home as an adult, and it ignited a long-dormant travel bug that has yet to be cured. Maybe that's also why it's the only one of my photos that I've had professionally framed, and you can find it hanging in my house today. I still smile every time I stop to look at it.

A lot has changed in my life since I took this photo almost 10 years ago, including what I use to take photos. One thing that hasn't changed, though, is how much I love capturing my life through the varied lens of photography. Now I have a real home for it here on this website. I hope you'll check back soon. There's plenty more of my ramblings to come! That's the beauty of a photograph. There's always a story behind it.

The photos below are some of my other favorites from that first trip abroad.